Porcelain and Pearls
by Laury the Latrator
Summary: "Forgive me, Avatar Korra, you have much bigger things to deal with than my waning love life." / Korra and Asami have a chat in the gym.


Avatar Korra pummeled the flame retardant punching bag with plumes of fire. Sweat trickled down her brow as she shot again and again, making the equipment creak under the strain. She was lost in the element, letting the pure aggression take her over. She finished off a combination of hits with a roundhouse kick, creating a huge wave of heat. The punching bag finally caved under the pressure, snapping off its hook and landing several feet away. Korra panted as she cooled down.

"Wow." Her head whipped around at the voice. Standing in the doorway of the gym, gorgeous green eyes wide, Asami Soto watched her in astonishment and awe. "That was incredible. I've never seen bending like that before! I know you're the Avatar, but still!" Korra couldn't help narrowing her eyes at the other woman, making Asami's smile fall. She sauntered into the room, her hips swaying with natural grace. "I figured you'd be here. Trying to make up the time you lost?" For some reason, the bender bristled at the double meaning she inferred.

"What do you want, Asami?" She asked brusquely, bending the sweat off herself and letting it evaporate into the air. The other woman bit her perfectly glossed red lips.

"I hope I'm not being presumptuous, Avatar Korra." She said shyly, stepping closer with clasped hands. Korra responded by striding to the fallen equipment, maintaining distance between them. Asami continued beseechingly. "I wanted to speak with you." Korra hoisted the bag up with ease and reattached it to its stand.

"About?" She said curtly, not bothering to look at her.

"Well, it's… it's Mako." Korra gave a surprised jerk and her head hit the metal hanger. "Are you okay?" Asami asked as the waterbender cursed creatively. She turned to face her, rubbing her throbbing head irritably. She glowered at the other woman.

"I'm fine." Korra snapped. "What do you want to talk to _me_," She gestured towards herself, "About _Mako_ for?" She finished by sweeping her arm outward in a harsh slicing motion.

"I… I just…" Asami floundered before exclaiming, "Oh it sounds silly!" She sighed, while Korra waited impatiently. "I don't really have anyone I can talk to about this." The heiress admitted. "I can't talk to any of my socialite friends. They're all yes-men essentially. They'll tell me I'm imagining things, that everything's fine, just saying what they think I want to hear. But what I really want to hear is the _truth_. And I certainly can't tell my father. He'll try and fix it for me with money, and that's not what I want either! And I know I should be talking to Mako but… what if I'm wrong? What if I'm over-reacting and making something out of nothing? I'd ruin everything. And… and I thought maybe…" Asami shook her head dejectedly. "Forgive me, Avatar Korra, you have much bigger things to deal with than my waning love life." She turned to leave, moving quickly. Korra puzzled through the muddled tirade, hopes rising as she finally parsed her meaning.

"Wait!" She yelled, arm outstretched. Asami stopped, glancing over her shoulder. Korra tried to restrain her optimism. "You're… you're having doubts about… Mako?" Asami faced her again, perfect porcelain features twisted into anguish and uncertainty.

"I… maybe." She confessed haltingly. "Do… do you think we could work out? You know… long term?" Korra huffed in aggravation, putting her hand on her hip and trying to appear disinterested.

"I don't know Asami, I haven't really given it much thought." She said, slightly condescending in a vain attempt to cover her inner irritation.

"You're his teammate," Asami continued imploringly, "You've known him longer than I have. Is he always so distant? He tries so hard, but there are times when he feels so cold. I can't help feeling as if he's pulling away." Korra hung her head, guilt prickling at the back of her mind. As hopeful as she'd been that Asami would leave Mako on her own, she'd never wanted to be the catalyst.

"I'm sure it's… temporary." She said after a long moment of hesitation. Asami latched onto her meagre admission.

"Then it's not all in my head!" She said, eager for more information. "There is something different about him." Korra, heart heavy, turned to her punching bag once more. She gathered water around her fists from the nearby trough and began to volley medium powered punches at it.

"Look," She spoke without facing the other woman, "Mako is a great guy. He's serious, sure, but that's only because he has to be. Him being distant isn't personal, not really. He," Her form faltered and she angrily put more power into her next hit, "Really, _really_ likes you. I know how important you are to him. He's probably just going through something right now and once that's… over, he'll be the loving and attentive boyfriend you want him to be." This was said with a melancholy air. There was silence as Asami took in this outlook and Korra tried to forget it.

"I…" Asami began tentatively, "I don't know if I want to wait and hope, or be left struggling to pull him out of his shell forever. I really like him too but… that isn't fair." Korra quit her exercise. She let the water soothe the small abrasions on her hands before depositing it back in the trough. She sighed and turned slowly to Asami once more.

"That's your decision to make, then." She told her solemnly. The heiress nodded contemplatively then smiled. She gave a reverent bow.

"Thank you for speaking with me, Avatar Korra." She said. Korra shook her head sheepishly.

"You don't have to do all that. I, er, hope we can be friends. I'm sorry I've been… well, busy and all, but…" Korra was cut off as Asami gathered her in a hug. Though stiff at first, the young Avatar gradually relaxed enough to return the embrace.

"Thanks, Korra." Asami murmured. "I was hoping the exact same thing."

* * *

**Hey, thanks for reading this little thing. I'm kookoo for Korra, so I couldn't resist writing something for it. I started writing this after episode 4 and finished after episode 5, so it may not flow so well.**

** I'm hoping for more Korra and Asami scenes, we haven't seen them interact much together. As far as ships go, I'm way in to Makorra, but I wont bash any combination. This story can be read as early Korra/Mako, late Mako/Asami, or very early Korra/Asami.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy,**

**Laury.**


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